New Delhi:
The Prime Minister is doing a bit of housekeeping with his team by sorting out administration matters. He's written to his council of ministers asking them to be a bit more considerate with their lawmaker colleagues, especially when it comes to granting them appointments.
A day after he assured his junior ministers that their problems will be looked into, in a letter to all his ministers, he wrote:
"It should be endeavour of all of us to be easily accessible to them. I hope you keep this in mind when MPs seek appointments with you."
Everyone instantly agreed. "I have been meeting MPs and I have never shied away from them," said Jaipal Reddy, Urban Development Minister.
Agreeing with the PM, Kapil Sibal, HRD minister said, "Not only MPs, other MLAs and all stakeholders must be met. This is a welcome step."
But perhaps it's not always the minister's fault. One of the reasons they shy away from meeting MPs is because quite often it is simply impossible to meet the long list of demands of the elected representatives, and from transfers to contracts it is a rather long list.
It's not the first time the Prime Minister has written to his ministers to meet MPs. The big point is whether they'll be able to address their grievances.